First Baptist Church Covington

Three Fallacies About Giving

By: Waylon Bailey ~

Yesterday at First Baptist Church, I preached on “Ten Truths for Christian Giving.” These truths ranged from “God loves a cheerful giver” to “Giving is a matter of the heart.“ I tried to cover the gamut of the theology of giving from Scripture.

I enjoyed preaching on this subject, and our people responded graciously. Of course, there are many more truths about giving them the 10 I listed, but they’re also fallacies about giving of which we should be aware.

Let me give you three fallacies about giving. These are preached, taught, and spoken repeatedly.

First, “It’s my money, and I can do what I want with it.“ Scripture deals with both parts of this compound sentence. It’s really not my money. God gives us the ability to earn a living and to make money. Every good and perfect gift comes from Him.

All of my money belongs to God and should be used in ways that please Him.

While many people treat their money as their own and do whatever they please, you can’t do that and please God.

Second, “the more I give, the more God will give me.”

God certainly blesses us and meets our needs. Of that we can be sure, and we can be thankful.

But this does not mean that God makes us rich or gives us a life of ease. Jesus said, “In the world you will have tribulation.” Both Paul and Peter were executed because they trusted the Lord Jesus and followed Him as Lord and Savior. If they were supposed to have it easy, these disciples didn’t get the memo.

Third, “If I give my tithe (10% of my income), God doesn’t care what I do with the rest.“

One thing that the Bible is clear about: everything counts with God. He cares for the lilies of the field and the birds of the air. He wants to be the Lord of all our lives. He wants us to serve Him in all things, even our discretionary income.

It’s easy to make God in our own image and suppose that He thinks the way we think. We must seek him in Scripture and let Him teach us His ways.